baby

Ian and I are so excited for two scoops of sweet baby boys! That’s right, we are having a little boy! My heart is so excited to see Cove have a little brother so close in age to him, and I am so happy God wanted me to be a boy mom. Boys just steal your hearts and do they love their mama’s. It’s so funny to think that this girly girl who thought she would grow up to have the all little girls will now never have tutus and princess tea time, but a house full of little men. But it really is amazing that God knows what we need more than we know ourselves. It is such an honor to be able to raise two strong men for His kingdom. Bring on the skateparks, race cars and action movies! I am so over the moon. Thank you so much for all your prayers and kind words over the past few weeks. I hope to share a name with you soon! We’ve got quite a few months to go…

That’s right! We are so blessed and thankful for the gift of another sweet baby. Cove is finally coming around to the idea that the baby is in my belly and not his, but it was pretty cute for him to lift up his shirt and point to his stomach when we asked ‘where the baby is?’ I guess you could say it was a bit of a surprise, but an answer to prayers too. I won’t go into the long of it, but I had some health issues that led me to believe it wasn’t in the cards for a while. We had both come to a place where we were fine with waiting and knew that God’s plan was ultimately and always better than our own. A few short months later I had a gut feeling and ran to the store to take a pregnancy test which ended up being positive. Cove and I both got to surprise Ian who was so excited. It has all been so wonderful and we are so excited to meet him or…

This weekend was exactly what our family needed. No plans. Just us and whatever we felt like doing. For the first time in months, we decided to tackle a few home renovation projects. I can’t wait to show you guys the before and after. It’s been a while since we’ve done a DIY on here, so hopefully we’ll put something together really soon. Besides that, we took the mornings slow together as a family, visiting our favorite local bagel shop and spending some time by the kiddie pool. I’m a little upset that June is already almost over. This summer has been a blast so far and it’s going by way too fast. I am going to let you guys in on a little secret. When I got pregnant with Cove, I was super paranoid about stretch marks. I knew if I got them, I would live and always remember the beautiful fact I got to carry my child, but I also just really didn’t want to have to deal with them or that adjustment. A friend from work told me…

Sleep is a hot topic among young mamas, and we’re all desperately seeking it. I am so excited to be teaming up with the lovely Hannah Renee and the Let’s Be Honest Mamas to share a little about sleep, or the lack thereof, we’ve experienced with Cove. We are also hosting a fun giveaway for two mama’s to receive a $100 gift card to aden + anais on Instagram, so be sure to check it out. We just recently got this silky soft shibori dream blanket, and I am obsessed. It is SO SOFT. I have actually contemplated stealing it from Cove’s room so I can curl up with it. Anyways… back to sleep… Here are my answers. How well does your babe sleep? Sleeping through the night? Taking good naps? None of the above? I almost feel a little bad sharing because I don’t want to jinx myself with our next kid, but Cove started sleeping through the night at about two months. We had a harder time with naps, but once we got in a good routine, he…

Only about a month after I shared with you how Cove had taken his first steps here, he started full on sprinting. I have to say it has been a really fun stage for us. Cove really loves to be outside, so most days we fit that into our schedule. Since temps have been mild this winter, we will usually go to the park and walk around or collect sticks and rocks around our house. We are doing a couple renovations on our house (not large ones, thank goodness), so last week we were able visit the lumber store by our house and had lunch together as a family. Burger Fi has an amazing veggie burger, so we stopped by there and walked next to the train tracks and through the tunnel. Cove figured out his voice echoed and was screaming and giggling so much. It was a perfect afternoon. See Kai Run has shoes that are perfect for every stage of development. The first two pairs we received were for first walkers, which means the cartilage in his foot is…

Before I had a baby, I was really unsure of whether I would stay home with him / her or not. I’m a big advocate for encouraging mothers, no matter what they decide to do, because being a mama is already hard enough without all the unnecessary guilt others like to impose. We all have different circumstances, challenges and struggles. When we had Cove, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to decide for myself whether I wanted to stay at home or not, and after returning from maternity leave (to the most amazing job, which I loved), I felt like God had another plan for my life. There was a little guy at home who I wanted to spend every second with and a husband who was all in with their startup. More than my boys needing me, I needed them. I was so excited when the beautiful Hannah Rennee asked me to be a part of the “Let’s Be Honest Mama’s” interview group to share some insight into my life as a stay at home mom. Motherhood itself…

If I am being real with you guys, before having children, I told myself we would never have technology around our little ones. After having Cove, Ian and I talked a lot about it and we really feel that technology SHOULD have a place in our kids lives. For us, that does not mean putting it down in front of their faces to distract them or let them play mindlessly for hours, but we both have careers that are very technology driven, and there is something to be said for that. I think there is also an important point in teaching your children balance and understanding of how to use technology. Ian and I both shut off technology and step away from it frequently, and we want our kids to learn to balance and step away too. I am all for sending my kids to play outside and explore, but I want resources on rainy days/sick days too.

The weather here has been so nice with it being cool in the mornings and afternoons. Although we love to go to the park and walk, we’ve been spending a good amount of time in our backyard. We throw out a blanket and Cove is so content just taking in the great outdoors. He is pulling up on everything and scooting around, so we’re trying to build up those muscles so he can start moving forward on his own. Whenever we are outside, you can see that he’s just itching to run and is constantly standing up and having me help him move forward. It’s a little bittersweet for me to see him taking little steps, but I really am excited for him to walk. See Kai Run has the most adorable shoes that are designed perfectly for each stage of crawling, standing and walking for babes. Not only are they designed with health in mind, but the quality of the shoes is really impressive. We picked out the Desmond and the Ian (I’m going to let you take one guess on who picked…

When it came to eating solids, we didn’t really have a problem. Cove loved food and was reaching for ours early on. One of the things we were concerned about was how much iron he was getting. I have always suffered with iron deficiency, so I never wanted that to be an issue for him. When we first started introducing food, I started mixing in rice cereal and oatmeal cereal. Since Gerber Cereals have 90% of your baby’s daily value of iron in two servings, I can ensure that Cove gets everything he needs. (Especially so when they have to take his blood at the doctors appointment, everything checks out normal) We prefer the Organic Oatmeal one, but they have quite a few options. As we transition into the toddler stage, it’s a perfect option to mix in with his breakfast, or if your baby is trying foods, it’s a perfect start. You can pick up yours at your local Wal-Mart. You can see all of the varieties of Gerber Cereals as well as other nutrition and vitamin information here. And as…

Before having Cove, I was literally ALWAYS on the go. I remember being so nervous about how life would slow down after he arrived (honest confession). But since the day he was born, I have loved having time at home just the three of us. Don’t get me wrong, my favorite hobby is adventure and travel, but family time at home is where some of our best memories are made. Every day is different, but we always end up together as a family reading books, playing games and eating together. Even if we only get to do one of those, we really make an effort to have family time together every single day, without distractions or technology involved. These are the moments that give me energy, drive and focus. They are the moments I want to write down in a book and keep forever. Below are some pictures from a slow morning together. Usually on the weekends, Cove and Ian bring me breakfast in bed. After Cove goes down for his morning nap, Ian and I will drink coffee together and talk…

I honestly believe that fresh air and being outside can change your entire mood. Now that the weather is cooling down, we will be outside a lot more than just the evenings. This past weekend, we packed up the car and headed just north of our house to visit the lake. We didn’t have a lot of time since we had obligations that night, but just sitting by the water really calmed all three of us. One of the quickest ways to calm Cove when he is fussy is to strap him in the stroller and just take him outside for a bit. He gets so quiet and just soaks up every little detail the great outdoors has to offer. Visiting bodies of water mesmerizes him even mmore. We popped the trunk of the Volvo and just sat in the back seat sippin’ on coffee and watching the boats in the water. It’s so good for the soul sometimes to just pull off on the side of the road and take a minute to be still with one another. Life can be…

Ian and I love to eat. Not just because we love food (which we totally do), but there is something about gathering around the dinner table breaking bread that is special to us. We really hoped our kids would feel the same way one day. It was also really important to me that our kids like and try all kinds of foods. When we originally introduced Cove to food around six months, we started with really mild flavors. I made his baby food with a baby food maker and fresh produce. Things like pureed apples, pears and sweet potatoes were his top picks with of course good grains like oatmeal and rice. As he started to crawl and become mobile, I knew it was time to introduce finger foods and bigger chunks of food besides just puree. But what I didn’t realize, is that it is a gradual process for babies. Cove was never really sure about the thicker substances we gave him, and would often gag because he hadn’t learned to chew on the food to break it down first.…

It’s true. We are pretty messy. We have a baby, which is mess enough. Ian also jokes that I am the “messy” kind of cook and my response is always, “the tastiest meals always require messes.” But I’m also type A, so when I make a mess, I always have to clean up after. Something my mom taught me at a young age is that you don’t make memories by keeping things together. You make them by jumping in rain puddles, building forts and throwing flour around while you’re trying to make a cake that’s way out of your league. I’ve really tried to embrace that, especially since we have a little boy. I want to make sure that I let him live more than I try to keep things tidy.

If you know me personally, then you know that my bag is usually overflowing. I wish I was more minimalistic in the way I pack my bag, but I haven’t learned how to be minimalistic and make sure I have everything we need for Cove. I would rather be over prepared than end up without something (which has happened to me more than once). I thought I would share a little embarrassing insight into all I have crammed in my bag. I am a huge fan of leather totes, and their ability to ‘catch-all.’ When I was pregnant, my mother-in-law bought me a Lily-Jade Diaper bag insert, and it is the biggest lifesaver. I don’t have to worry about buying an overpriced diaper bag. I literally just stick this in whatever bag matches my outfit best and go. (which by the way, I am dying to get back into my Madewell Tote. Just waiting until we are out of the milk stage so I don’t get any milk stains on the leather) It has tons of pockets and spaces to…

When I first found out we were having a baby, it was a little overwhelming to try to figure out all the products we would need for our little guy. Some people say you need barely anything, while others swear by the thousands of gadgets there are out there to improve your baby’s life and make yours a little easier. Although I am a wannabe minimalist, I still err on the side of less is more so I tried to stick to the basics and a few things that I really thought would make our lives easier with a new baby. I really believe that different products work for different families/babies, but I thought that I would narrow down my favorite products in hopes it would helps someone else who may be working through that initial shock of the baby aisle at Target or an even more overwhelming Buy Buy Baby. Here are a few of our favorite items that we use consistently with Cove: Burp Clothes: Burt’s bee’s are some of our favorites. I think I under-estimated just how many…

It’s sweet summertime and everyone is headed to the beach! I had a few people reach out to me about how we managed a baby at the beach. (Cove was just four months old when we took him to meet the ocean – which you can see here) So I thought I would share just a few of the things that made taking Cove to the beach so much easier.

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Hello!

We are Ian and Victoria: Jesus followers, husband and wife, father and mother, photo takers, travelers and adventure seekers. This is a little glimpse into our lives in Atlanta, GA and around the world.